My favorite restaurant to date was a teensy little place in Paris called Chez Toinette. I'm not going to sit here and lie and say it was the most charming place ever. In fact, most people walked right past it because of its location. It's in between the districts of Pigalle (red light district) and Abbesses which is at the foot of the famous Montmartre just up from the Moulin Rouge. Needless to say, it's a less desirable area of the city. When I entered the restaurant, it was shocking how much it transitioned from the noisy streets to silence. The walls were splashed in an artsy red with photos all over the walls. This place was so small that it felt like you were sitting in someone's kitchen. Three amazing courses and two glasses of Bourdeux later, the entire restaurant was like a temporary home away from home. I met a couple from Australia to my left and a family from Boston on my right and the waitstaff came around announcing "free refills" to all the guests at the table. Well past their closing time, the waitress and the chef joined me at my table sipping on some champagne worthy of being a stand-alone dessert. Worlds away, we talked about all of our differences, our similarities, our countries, our love lives. We bore striking resemblances. I was lucky that hostel was just a "stumble" away that evening.
I noticed that when I was alone in a foreign place, everything was hyper-sensory. I could smell, taste, feel, and hear everything far more clearly than I ever had before because I had no choice but to pay attention in my solidarity. My mind was like a sponge, harvesting all the details...the minor ones I can remember from places and times still surprise me.
I still have a preference for being utterly alone sometimes. As a very social and lively person, this seems like the opposite of what my personality reflects, but for many people it is necessary. These seemingly contradictory parts of me balance one another. I learn to appreciate the one and then the other in their own times and seasons. In fact, I need one to have the sanity for the other.
My favorite thing about this solo travel was all of the people I collided with that I otherwise would have passed by with no thought. This short-term temporary family and home was more impacting and bonding than anything I have ever experienced.
Even so, the road does get lonely, no doubt. For whatever reason, it never bothered me. Perhaps this is because I've heard it said that if we really are all alone, then at least we are all together in that.
